In the drilling and completion industry, the formation of boreholes for the purpose of production or injection of fluid is common. The boreholes are used for exploration or extraction of natural resources such as hydrocarbons, oil, gas, water, and alternatively for CO2 sequestration. To increase the production from a borehole, the production zone can be fractured to allow the formation fluids to flow more freely from the formation to the borehole. The fracturing operation includes pumping fluids at high pressure towards the formation to form formation fractures. To retain the fractures in an open condition after fracturing pressure is removed, the fractures must be physically propped open, and therefore the fracturing fluids commonly include solid granular materials, such as sand, generally referred to as proppants.
The granular material used for proppant can be brought to the borehole location via road, rail, or water. Transportable silos containing the proppant are situated at an area near the borehole and a conveyor belt system is used to deliver the proppant to a hopper, which subsequently feeds to a blender as needed. The blender can also receive a number of other materials including water and dry or fluidic chemical additives to create the fracturing fluid. The additives are added by an operator or hopper, while the liquid materials are delivered to the blender from a water source using hoses.
As time, manpower requirements, and mechanical maintenance issues are all variable factors that can significantly influence the cost effectiveness and productivity of a fracturing operation, the art would be receptive to improved apparatus and methods for processing fracturing fluids.